Signaling device



INVEN TOR. f/i/mr 1 /0511 6 GflGL ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED stares SIGNALING DEVICE Henry Phelps Gage, Corning, N. Y., assignor to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporaticn of New York Application June 18, 1934, Serial No. 731,179

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a signaling device and more particularly to the type of signals commonly employed in railway yards and the like.

It is the usual custom in railway yards to, employ switch lamps in order that the engineer of an approaching train or switch engine can determine the position and setting of a switch. Due to the large number of such signaling devices required for a railway yard of even small size, it has not been feasible to employ electric lamps, due to the expense of installation and the cost of supplying necessary electric current. As a result, the railroads have adopted the practice of using oil lamps for this purpose with the result that much time is consumed in attending them to insure their proper functioning. This also involves considerable expense as it has been estimated that the cost of attending a single lamp is about twelve dollars per year, and when this is multiplied by the number of such lamps now in use it becomes evident that the maintenance of switch lamps involves a tremendous expenditure. Moreover, the life of a switch lamp in which kerosene oil is used is relatively short, as it is well known that such oil contains ingredients which through contact with the atmosphere and through combustion cause corrosion of the metal parts of the lamp, with the result that the average life of an oil burning switch lamp rarely exceeds four or five years. Recently the railroads have become interested in reflex signaling devices, i. e., those devices which are not self-illuminating but depend upon an outside luminous source, such as the headlight of a locomotive for their ability to produce a visual signal. Naturally such reflex signaling devices must be efficient in order to produce a satisfactory signal which may be readily seen by one occupying the cab of an approaching locomotive. .Such a signaling device has been shown and described in a co-pending application which was filed by me on the 15th day of May, 1933, and bears Serial Number 671,213 (Patent No. 2,009,769). While such reflex signaling devices have been designed to fit into the lamp housings of the switch lamps now in use in place of the lenses ordinarily employed, it has been recognized that some form of satisfactory mounting other than the switch lamp housings soon will be required as it is obviously useless to purchase an entire switch lamp and then modify it to accommodate reflex signaling units.

The object of the present invention is to properly support reflex signaling units'on a switch stand.

Another object is to facilitate the removal and insertion of reflex signaling units fromv and into the holder so that substitution and replacements may be readily effected.

Still another object is to enable a complete set 5 of reflex signaling units to be readily mounted on a switch stand in place of a switch lamp.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing my invention, which emobdies among its features a socket for receiving the upper end of the vertical shaft of a switch stand, a ring shaped holder at the upper end of the socket which is surmounted by a similar ring shaped holder which lies in a plane at right angles to the first-named ring shaped holder, bezels cooperating with the ring shaped holders to retain reflex signaling units in place and hoods projecting outwardly from the holders and bezels to shield the signaling units from stray light which might produce a phantom signal indication.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side View of a reflex signal unit holder constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my holder comprises a socket Ill having a rectangular opening ll fitted over the upper squared end 12 of the vertical shaft I3 of a switch stand (not shown) and extending transversely through the socket IE9 is a set screw M by means of which the socket IE? is locked on the shaft I3.

Extending upwardly from the upper end of the 5 socket in is a supporting ring H, which is provided near one end with an internal shoulder l6. Extending outwardly from the end of the supporting ring l5 nearest the shoulder I6 is a hood ll, the outer edge of which lies in a plane which inclines away from the vertical toward the upper end of the hood. Surmounting the supporting ring I5 is a similar supporting ring E8, the axis of which lies transversely to the axis of the ring i5 above described. Like the supporting ring 15, the ring 88 is provided near one end with an internal shoulder l9 and a hood 29, the outer edge of which lies in a plane which inclines away from the vertical as it extends upwardly.

As shown in Fig. 2, the reflex units 25 are seated against gaskets which engage the shoulders l6 and I9 with their silvered or reflecting surfaces facing the inside of the holder. A spacing ring 26 engages the rim of the rear of each reflex unit 25 and engaging the opposite end of each ring 26 is a similar reflex unit 21 having its silvered or reflecting surface facing the reflecting surface of the unit 25. The bezel rings 24 engage gaskets which lie between them and the rims of the reflex units 21 so that when the screws 22 are turned the bezel rings will securely hold the reflex units in place. As shown, the outer edges of the bezel rings 24 incline upwardly away from the vertical to provide hoods which will exclude stray light from the reflex units. For convenience in handling, I prefer to provide the topmost supporting ring I8 with a handle 28.

It is perfectly obvious that, where so desired, targets may be attached to my signaling device, for instance, by clamping them in place by the use of screws 22 but, inasmuch as such targets form no part of my invention, no illustration of such targets is included in the drawing.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a reflex unit support comprising a unitary casting having a supporting ring, a second supporting ring projecting radially from the first mentioned supporting ring and arranged in a plane at an angle to the plane of the first mentioned supporting ring, a socket on the first mentioned supporting ring extending radially therefrom diametrically opposite the junction between the first and second mentioned supporting rings, each supporting ring being provided with an outwardly projecting hood terminating at its inner end in a shoulder, a relatively flat reflectingunitsupported in the ring against the shoulder, a spacing member engaging the reflecting unit, a similar reflecting unit supported against the spacing ring and in spaced relation to the first mentioned unit, radially extending ears on each ring, a bezel fitted into each ring, radially disposed ears on the bezel, means connecting the ears on the bezel with the ears on its respective ring to cause the inner end of the bezel to engage and=clamp the reflecting units in place and a hood on the bezel corresponding to that on the ring but extending in the opposite direction therefrom.

HENRY PHELPS GAGE. 

